Entries Tagged 'Prayer' ↓

A prayer guide for those who lead others on adventures.

About a year and a half ago, two of the three churches I was leading at the time (Alexandria and Barree UMCs) united to form one new congregation (Hope UMC). During the two-year process leading up to the merger, the leadership team did a lot of talking and praying.

At one point, I developed a 7-day prayer guide as a way for our leaders to unite in prayer for our future. It was called a “prayer map” because I include a graphic of a topographical map of the local area on the prayer guide. I thought I’d post it here for other “adventure guides,” who may be leading various kinds of missions in the world …

Sunday :: Honor
Pray that our words, actions, and witness in the world will honor God!

Monday :: Missional
Pray that our mission will be Christ-centered and Spirit-led! Pray that as many of us as possible will have a clear sense of mission and that everything we are and everything we do flows out of our sense of mission.

Tuesday :: Leaders
Pray for the leadership team. Pray that we follow Christ first, then lead others. Pray that we lead well, with integrity, with servants’ hearts, and that we continually learn, grow and stretch throughout the process!

Wednesday :: Community
Pray that we become a place where people want to be, a place where people can find acceptance and wholeness, a place where people find spiritual fulfillment, a place where people are equipped and released for ministry in the world!

Thursday :: Courage
Pray that we will be strong and courageous, dressed in God’s armor, and that we will be willing to risk it all for the sake of Christ!

Friday :: Provision
Pray that God will provide all that is needed to accomplish our God-given mission — operatives (you’ll probably see this word used more and more on this blog), finances, strength, wisdom, and creativity!

Saturday :: World
Pray not only for our local context but also the world beyond us, especially for people who are not yet followers of Jesus Christ! Pray that they will come to know and experience God’s love through Jesus Christ!

I hope this prayer guide is helpful for you on your missional journey!

The desire to be recognized drives division in an organization.

In preparation for last Sunday’s message, I briefly read 1 Corinthians 11. The chapter begins with a very interesting statement about division. I read it as something of a sarcastic statement by Paul, one of the Church’s premier leaders in the first century.

“But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God’s approval will be recognized!” (1 Corinthians 11.19).

That’s a powerful insight. When those who believe they have “God’s approval” (as opposed to others having God’s approval), they need division in order to stand out. Division is the only way for them to be recognized, to be seen as “set apart” from the rest.

The desire for recognition can cause division in an organization. And division is a hindrance to the organization’s mission!

Song from the movie “Music & Lyrics” makes a good prayer.

Awhile back we watched the movie Music & Lyrics on DVD. It’s a romantic comedy that Joleen, particularly, wanted to watch. At first, it was just an okay movie, but overall, it was a good movie, especially if you like romantic comedies.

Music & Lyrics is about a washed-up 80s pop singer, Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant), who is given an opportunity to write a song for a top young musician. Unfortunately, he’s only given a couple days to do it. His strength has always been writing music, not lyrics. During the couple of days he meets a writer, Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore), who seems to have a knack for composing lyrics. The movie is about the development of their relationship, how music and lyrics go together.

Anyway, toward the end of the movie Alex composes and sings a love song that I think makes a great prayer, especially the ending …

“And now I know I’ve already blown more chances than anyone should ever get. All I’m asking you is don’t write me off just yet, don’t write me off just yet.”

God is constantly at work in us, molding and shaping us into the people he wants us to be. Sometimes we yield and surrender and God is able to form us. Sometimes we resist, and God’s formational work in us gets much harder. Sometimes I just want to say to God: “Don’t write me off just yet!”

A helpful guide for praying for church leaders.

A few years ago, we came across a great weekly guide for praying for pastors. It comes from Dan Reiland’s book, Shoulder to Shoulder: Strengthening Your Church by Supporting Your Pastor.

From time to time, we’ve distributed the guide to others so that they can pray for us. We post it here so that those who attend our churches will have a guide for praying for us, as well as for other Christ-followers and pastors to use it in their settings.

Monday: Pray for your pastor’s family.

• God’s peace and protection
• A growing love relationship with his/her spouse
• A commitment to quality and quantity time together

Tuesday: Pray for wisdom for your pastor.

• The mind of Christ
• Godly decision-making
• Understanding of biblical truth

Wednesday: Pray for your pastor’s ministry focus.

• Clear vision
• Commitment to biblical priorities
• Remain true to his/her God-given gifts and strengths

Thursday: Pray for your pastor’s health.

• Protection of his/her body and mind
• An extra portion of stamina and strength
• Commitment to stress-releasing activity

Friday: Pray for your pastor’s spiritual health.

• A heart for God and the lost
• Fresh biblical insights
• Personal devotions not related to sermon preparation

Saturday: Pray for your pastor’s purity

• Pure motives
• Pure thought-life and faithfulness to his/her spouse
• Pure commitment to complete integrity

Sunday: Pray for God’s anointing on your pastor.

• Strength in leadership
• Passion in preaching
• Fruit and joy in ministry

During a recent message, Randy said, "There are two kinds of people in the world: those who need God and those who are in denial!" Truth is, we all need God (some simply deny it). Therefore, we should pray for one another, including church leaders, who have the responsibility of leading and forming communities for God.

We certainly appreciate all of those who pray for us!

In prayer, sometimes you need to surrender, sometimes you need to persist.

In July 2005, we had a class with Drs. Jim & Molly Scott called, “The Transformation of the Church.” It was a very dynamic and incredible experience. One of the things that I remember most was a statement about prayer. Molly said that when we pray about a particular thing, we either need to surrender or persist.

In Scripture, there are people who surrendered regarding an issue/need: Paul, who prayed for God to remove his “thorn in the flesh,” finally had to surrender. The ultimate example was Jesus, who surrendered to God’s will in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he prayed, “not my will, but yours be done.”

There were also other people who persisted. Several women in the Old Testament were barren. They persisted in their prayers, and God eventually provided answers to their requests. In the New Testament, Jesus tells a story about a woman who pestered an “unjust judge” until she received her request.

Truth is, both surrender and persistence are part of the Christ-following journey. We must do both. The art is knowing which one is right/best for a given circumstance. Unfortunately, there’s no formula, but here’s what I try to do: unless and until I have a strong sense that God is leading me to surrender about a request or issue, I am going to be persistent!

Jesus said, “Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks” (Matthew 7.7-8).

Think about the things you are praying about currently. What areas might you need to fully surrender to God? In what areas might you just need to persist?

Each year the Conference Council on Youth Ministries sponsors a weekend retreat for youth. This year’s theme was Prayer: The Best Wireless Plan. The two main speakers for the event were Stephen Handy and Quay Hanna. Quay shared of the story of how when he went to college he changed to fit the mold of a redneck. Racism was one thing that was expected of him as a redneck. He shared how a 9-week bus trip transformed him. He also did a workshop on bullying, which he does regularly in the public schools. Mark Cable led the worship in song. Various individuals led afternoon workshops.

Stephen Handy, as the Bible teacher, taught on prayer. He was very dynamic and able to keep the attention of the youth (and adults). Friday evening he used the image of the cell phone for the main points: Available; Activate; Aware; Approach; Acknowledge. He emphasized at numerous points that people will try to disconnect you from God. He stated, "Wherever there is connection, there is conviction." He also stated,"Faithful prayers generate power and praise."

He also looked at the Lord’s Prayer as a model for prayer, leading us to be connectional, invitational, confessional (give up ourselves), missional (move to a different place), and spiritual. The prayer leads us to praise, to submit/surrender/remember, and to forgiveness. He also stated that temptation challenges truth but can’t defeat it (there is protection.)

He encouraged the youth to keep a prayer list: list people, be specific (rather than general), write down answers. He encouraged us to find a prayer partner. Keep a prayer journal. Wayne Cordeiro’s journal method is SOAP: Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer (enewhope.org).

In another session Stephen Handy looked at the story of Daniel and how Daniel loved to pray. It was Daniel’s habit to pray. There was a confidence in his prayer. He was committed to prayer - no matter what. Prayer is a conversation. There is a covering that comes from Jesus (Jesus will never disconnect.) God was already in the lion’s den. There is communion.